Christmas is about the gift of 'Presence' ... really being in the moment with those you love. Tina ...
At this time of year it can get frantic. People milling around in search of the perfect gifts to wrap and give, buying and hanging more decorations and more food for the festive feasting. It can be exhausting and drain not just your energy but your purse strings as well. There are a growing number of people that find this time of year very demanding and stressful and with consumerism reaching a fever pitch, they feel like skipping the whole shebang. It needn’t be like this and in my opinion, shouldn’t be like this. Christmas at it’s heart is about connection, laughter and love and it is that spirit that I wrote my list of The 5 Best Gifts You Can Give This Year.
1. Your Presence (not just your presents). To be truly available to those you love and care about is so precious. Focusing on listening, sharing and connecting is a gift that will keeping giving long after the decorations are put away. For some, it is the only time of the year that they get to catch up with certain people. Though it is a brief opportunity in terms of quantity or time, it is perfect in terms of quality by genuinely allowing yourself to be interested and available.
2. Forgiveness. This gift is solely for you; a gift of self love. Contrary to the opinion of some, forgiving others is not really about the other person but is in essence all about you. When you forgive someone, you are laying down the burden of anger, bitterness and resentment choosing instead to allow your natural joy and peace to return to you. This does not mean that you condone their actions or what they ‘did’ but rather that you will no longer let these actions control your feelings or behaviour. In this way, you have the choice to interact (or not) with this person on your own terms rather than being controlled by negative emotions.
Forgiveness allows you to focus on the present and future without battling the past. Tina Bandana
3. Kindness. This gift is much easier to give once you apply presence and forgiveness but can be done at any time not just Christmas. The key to being kind is two fold. Firstly, by being kind to ourselves, not judging ourselves too harshly or speaking unkindly in our self talk we are able to create a well spring of kindness. We can then draw upon this well to share with others. If there is nothing to draw from within ourselves we either find it incredibly hard to be kind to others or we do so from a place of obligation and resentment. The second key to kindness is to realise that when we are kind to others we feel good and get back positive energy. It is a practice that becomes a habit that adds to our life and is kept in balance by the awareness of being kind to ourselves first and foremost.
A candle loses none of it's light by lighting another. Unknown
4. Gratitude. Acknowledging how very blessed we are makes a huge difference to our lives. When we become aware of the many things to be grateful for our heart expands and we feel happiness, peace and joy (and isn’t that what life and Christmas are about?). Not only that, but by counting our blessings daily we become attuned to seeing and experiencing more to be grateful for. Gratitude opens the floodgates to abundance. Being healthy, surrounded by your loved ones, laughing ….these are just the beginning of our gratitude list.
Feeling Gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William
5. Love. Love makes the world go around and we all long to experience love and to give it. While presents are wonderful it is the love of another that makes the difference. Whether that be our parents, beloved, siblings, children or friends taking the time to be with them, sharing experiences and connections is what it is about. Loving ourselves a little more each day creates the space and expression to love others and on a greater scale enables us to love the wider human community.
I love you not only for what you are but for what I am when I am with you. Roy Croft
I wish you a Christmas surrounded by love, laughter and deep connection. May the gifts you give and receive light the sparks of gratitude and joy.
Blessings,
Tina
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